Chapter 88 : Finally arrived at the destination

Han Zhenyu walked out of the guesthouse and looked back again.

He didn’t ask why Gu Fangxun had brought two children here alone, nor did he ask where his sister and brother-in-law were. But seeing how embarrassed he was, Han Zhenyu guessed the situation roughly.

Having been involved in the black market in the past few years, and driving all over the country this year, he had seen and heard about too many people who had been brought down from high positions. As an ordinary worker, he couldn’t comment on these major events, let alone care about them.

But Gu Fangxun had helped him before, and Han Zhenyu wanted to repay him to the best of his ability.

When Han Zhenyu arrived at the machine tool factory, Li Shaohua had already returned and was sitting in the car with his legs crossed, reading a newspaper.

When she saw him, she threw the newspaper away and asked, “Where have you been?”

“Just wandering around.”

Li Shaohua was about to get out of the car when someone from the security department came over and said, “Comrades, the leader wants you to drive in and unload the goods.”

“Okay, got it.”

They drove the car directly to the workshop door, where the workshop leader and a dozen workers were already waiting. The goods were unloaded quickly and smoothly, and the two of them drove out of the factory around three o’clock.

Han Zhenyu’s car was in the front. After leaving the factory, he stopped and said to Li Shaohua, “I just met an acquaintance who needs a ride. I’ll go to the guesthouse to pick them up. You wait here for a while.”

“Let’s go together. We can take the south street out of the city to avoid having to turn back.”

Han Zhenyu nodded. “That’s fine.”

Although it was closer to go south of the city, the road there was a bit narrow and not as easy to drive on as this side.

The two arrived at the guesthouse, and Han Zhenyu jumped out of the car. “Shaohua, wait a moment, I’ll go call them down.”

“Okay,” Li Shaohua said.

Gu Fangxun had already packed up everything, and the two children were sleeping soundly on the kang. He heard the sound of a car downstairs and looked down from the window. It was Han Zhenyu’s car.

“Chenchen, wake up, Uncle Han is here to pick us up.”

Jiang Lichen rubbed his eyes, immediately got up from the kang, and quickly put on his socks and shoes.

When Han Zhenyu came up, Gu Fangxun had already carried An An on his shoulders and was about to pick up the two big bags.

“I’ll do it, I’ll do it.” Han Zhenyu immediately walked over and picked up the two bags before him. “You just hold the child.”

Gu Fangxun smiled and didn’t say any more words of thanks. He had said thank you too many times today. If he were to be more polite, even he would feel it was fake.

Seeing that they had both children and luggage, Li Shaohua quickly jumped off the car and helped put the two large bags into the truck’s cabin.

Han Zhenyu’s co-pilot seat couldn’t accommodate all three of them, so he smiled and discussed with Jiang Lichen.

“Chenchen, how about taking Uncle Li’s car? He’s a good friend of mine, and his driving skills are better than mine.”

Jiang Lichen glanced at his uncle Gu Fangxun smiled and nodded.

He then said obediently, “Okay.”

Li Shaohua carried him to the passenger seat, started the car, and drove off behind Han Zhenyu.

Since Han Zhenyu was worried that the two children would get carsick, he drove slower than usual. Li Shaohua didn’t urge him and just followed closely.

When they were almost at Nanping County, Han Zhenyu asked, “Comrade Gu, where are we taking you?”

“If it’s on your way, just drop us off at the guesthouse.”

Gu Fangxun thought for a moment and then said, “Han Zhenyu, when you return to the factory, could you please ask Deputy Director Bai Shanhe to come to the guesthouse to find me?”

“Okay, no problem.” Han Zhenyu agreed readily.

Gu Fangxun thought for a moment and said, “Han Zhenyu, I don’t want too many people to know that I came to Nanping County, so…”

Han Zhenyu nodded immediately. “I understand.”

It was already dark when they arrived at the Nanping County Guesthouse.

Gu Fangxun took out the letter of introduction and booked a room.

Han Zhenyu helped him carry the luggage in, and then he and Li Shaohua drove back to the machinery factory.

Han Zhenyu handed the delivery note to Li Shaohua and said, “I’m going home soon and might come a little later tomorrow. Please hand in the note for me tomorrow morning.”

“No problem, you can go back early and be careful on the road.”

Han Zhenyu waited until Li Shaohua walked away before quickly heading towards the residential building in the south.

Bai Shanhe had just gotten home. His wife and daughter were cooking in the kitchen, and his two sons had gone out to have fun and had not returned yet.

He picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip of water. Just as he picked up the newspaper, he heard a knock on the door.

He thought it was his two sons coming back, so he opened the door and was about to scold them, but when he saw that the person outside the door was Han Zhenyu, he asked in surprise, “Zhenyu, what’s the matter? Come in quickly.”

Han Zhenyu didn’t enter the room. He looked around and saw that no one was around, so he whispered, “Deputy Director Bai, Gu Fangxun is here and is now at the guesthouse. Please come over right away.”

Bai Shanhe was shocked but didn’t ask anything further. He picked up his coat and shouted to the kitchen, “Wenping, something’s going on at the factory. I need to take care of it. Don’t wait for me to eat.”

Without waiting for his wife to answer, he and Han Zhenyu quickly left the family building.

The two hurried to the guesthouse. Han Zhenyu told him the room number and didn’t go upstairs.

On his way back, Han Zhenyu remembered the two children who hadn’t eaten yet, so he went to a family-owned restaurant to buy some food to send to them.

Bai Shanhe knocked on the door, looked at Gu Fangxun and the two children, and asked hurriedly, “Fang Xun, what happened?”

“Brother Bai, please sit down first.” Gu Fangxun sighed and told him everything that had happened during this period.

Bai Shanhe asked anxiously, “How is the leader now?”

Gu Fangxun’s eyes were slightly red. “The night I arrived, the yard was surrounded. If I hadn’t gotten out quickly with the two children, I’m afraid I would have been detained as well.”

Bai Shanhe anxiously walked around the room several times and looked at the two children on the kang. “Fang Xun, leave these two children at my house. You should go to the northwest to report as soon as possible. I will definitely raise them to adulthood.”

Gu Fangxun shook his head. “Brother Bai, you are my father’s old subordinate. Our family fell, and your family suddenly had two more children. Anyone with an eye would know what’s going on.”

Bai Shanhe said nonchalantly, “It’s okay. The Northeast is so far away from Beijing. Who could have guessed that these two children are your sister’s?”

“No, it’s still too risky.”

Gu Fangxun said, “Brother Bai, you don’t know how crazy those people are. If they catch even a little clue, they will find us no matter how far away we are.”

Bai Shanhe knew that what he said made sense, but he would not feel comfortable leaving two such young children to be raised by someone else unless the family knew them well.

He sat on the kang, wondering which family would be the most suitable place for the children to be fostered.

He first ruled out his relatives from his hometown, as his parents had died long ago. Because he hadn’t arranged jobs for his brothers and sisters’ children, things had become a bit strained, and they hadn’t been in touch for the past two years.

His wife was not from here, and her family was not reliable either; they were all opportunistic people who took advantage of others.

He suddenly thought of Han Zhenyu. He had been observing him for a year and found that the boy was quite capable and had impeccable character.

“If I foster him at Han Zhenyu’s home, which is close to me, I can visit often.”

“Fang Xun, are you familiar with Han Zhenyu?”

Gu Fangxun told him how Han Zhenyu saved his sister and brother-in-law, and about his relationship with him, including the chance encounter in the city today.

He asked, “Brother Bai, do you mean to foster them at Han Zhenyu’s home?”

Bai Shanhe nodded. “Yes, I think he is quite reliable. What do you think?”

“There’s nothing wrong with him as a person, but I don’t know if he’s willing. The attitude of his family is also very important.”

Speaking of Han Zhenyu, Gu Fangxun admired him very much, but he also knew that he couldn’t force anyone to do anything.

“I heard that he got married,” Bai Shanhe told him what happened a few days ago.

“When such a big thing happened, he didn’t even ask me for help, but solved it on his own. It’s really rare for someone so young to be so capable and courageous.”

Gu Fangxun thought for a moment and said, “Brother Bai, does Han Zhenyu live in the factory? Can you call him over? I want to ask him in person if he’s willing?”

“I don’t know that yet.”

Bai Shanhe stood up from the kang and said, “Wait a minute. I’ll go to the factory and ask. If he’s there, I’ll call him over.”

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a knock on the door.